The Enemy Within
by amy jonas
Summary: A person from the past incolves The LOne Gunmen in a conspiracy that hits close to home.


TITLE: The Enemy Within  
RATING: PG 13 (for a couple of words)  
E-MAIL: adjonas2000@yahoo.com   
DISCLAIMER: The Lone Gunmen are owned by Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen, and Fox. I am just borrowing them until I win the lotto and convince the Powers that Be to sell them to me. :)  
SPOILERS: Madam I'm Adam, The Lone Gunmen TV series  
FEEDBACK: Please! Let me know what you think!!  
SUMMERY: A person from a past case involves THE LONE GUNMEN in a conspiracy that hits close to home. (A sequel to Madam I'm Adam)  
  
  
THE ENEMY WITHIN  
By: Amy Jonas  
  
  
The swirling blackness swept over him, engulfing him. He couldn't see or hear anything except for the blackness no matter how hard he tried to fight against it. It was an oily blanket of anger, hate and violence that swept around him. In the end he managed to find a small corner of himself where the black could not reach. He hid there while the angry cloud raged all around him.  
  
The doors parted for the three distinctly different men as they walked briskly down the white halls. The middle one was about 5'9, in his late thirties and wore an immaculate dark brown suit and a neatly trimmed reddish-brown beard. The man on his left was shorter and much older. He had on dark trousers, a gray shirt, leather vest and fingerless gloves. The third man was a little younger then the first man. He wore jeans, a rock band T-shirt and long blond hair. His face was partially covered by thick black rimmed glasses. They stopped at the nurse's station and the man in the middle spoke for them. "My name is John Byers, this is Richard Langly, and Melvin Frohike. We received a call that Jimmy Bond was admitted to this hospital."  
The nurse gave a cursory glance to Byers' two companions before turning her attention back to Byers, "Are you family?"  
"No. Well, sort of. We are his friends."  
"Have a seat." The nurse told them, "I'll call the doctor." She pointed toward a row of seats across from the reception desk and picked up the phone speaking quietly into it.  
Langly and Byers both took a seat, but Frohike remained standing.  
"What did that moron do now." Frohike grumbled, "All he had to do was pick up a few supplies. How hard can that be? If he broke his leg again."  
Langly, slumped in his chair, said sarcastically, "Nope, couldn't do that. There are no trees for him to ski into. Hell, he wasn't even skiing"  
"Guys!" said Byers standing up, "Look."  
Langly and Frohike both looked in the direction Byers was facing. A man and a woman were walking toward them. They were both wearing not the expected hospital scrubs, but dark business suits.  
"Mulder. Scully." Said Byers in way of greeting. Mulder and Scully were Special Agents of the FBI, specifically agents who investigated The X-Files, cases that didn't always fit in the realm of the normal or easily explained. They were also friends of the trio who operated The Lone Gunman newspaper. The Lone Gunmen often helped the agents with their cases by providing them with arcane information. The agents occasionally supplied a little unofficial and official FBI help from time to time.  
"I would say this is an unusual coincidence, but I very much doubt that." Said Byers.  
"What's going on Mulder?" asked Frohike.  
"Boys, I'll get right to the point. Your friend Jimmy attacked a person in a hardware store, breaking the guys jaw. He also trashed the place pretty well. It took four police officers to subdue him." Mulder replied.  
"What?" Exclaimed Langly and Frohike.  
"Jimmy?" Byers asked incredulously, "That's impossible, Jimmy wouldn't hurt a fly."  
"There are three witnesses." Said Agent Scully. "All of them said the same thing. He was talking to the clerk in an easy going manner when he suddenly exploded, attacking the clerk."  
"Why are you and Scully here?" asked Frohike, "Do you think its some kind of X-Files?"  
"This isn't the first case where someone for no reason suddenly became violent. There have been five other cases of men becoming violent all within the last two days. Family and friends report that there had been a precursor, a minor but unusual occurrence before the event. What connects these five men is that they are a part of a group of people who meet Sunday's to play a game of pick up football. There is usually anywhere from 10 to 20 guys at any one time. But last week, according to a girlfriend of one of the victims, there was only six guys who showed up to play, one of which was your friend Jimmy." Mulder informed the guys.  
"Last week we were in North Carolina investigating a story" Said Byers, "We were expecting a call from a source, so we had Jimmy stay home and wait for the call. Can we see him?"  
"Yes, follow us," Said Scully."   
The guys followed the two agents through a double door and walked down another long white hall. They could hear screams echoing through the hall. Scully and Mulder stopped outside the door of room 1013 where the screams were loudest. Scully put her hand on the door and hesitated. She turned around to face the trio.  
"Before we continue," Scully told them. "I think I should explain something first, so you will better understand what is happening. It's been determined that this is not a psychological problem, but some sort of chemical disturbance within the brain caused by the introduction of a foreign substance. It causes the victim to be increasingly violent against others and their surroundings until they turn that violence against themselves."  
"The other victims," said Frohike, "They died?"  
Scully nodded, "They killed themselves within 24 hours after the event." She pushed open the door and the group went in. There was only one piece of furniture in the room, a single bed with an occupant whose hands and feet were strapped to the bed. He was writhing and struggling against the bonds while cursing and muttering unintelligible words. He had streaks of blood on his face, his dark blond hair was tangled and his eyes had a wildness in them that was foreign to the three friends.  
Langly paled at the sight of the blood, "The blood." He whispered.  
"It's not his." Reassured Scully. "It took three orderlies to strap him in, but not before he broke one of the orderly's nose. Don't worry, a nurse will clean him up."  
Frohike stared transfixed trying to reconcile the wild eyed screaming man with the gentle, good hearted young man who worked and lived with them.  
Byers approached the bed. "Jimmy." Byers said quietly  
The man looked at him while struggling, "GOD DAMN IT!! I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS. I'M GONNA SHOVE THOSE COMPUTERS DOWN YOUR THROAT! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"  
Byers swallowed, but placed his hand on Jimmy's arm, "Jimmy!" He said a little more forcefully.  
Jimmy stared intently at him and suddenly every muscle froze. The wildness in his eyes was replaced by confusion, "Byers?"  
Byers gave his friend a worried smile, "Yes, Jimmy. It's Byers. Frohike and Langly are here too."  
"What'd I screw up?" He asked Byers softly. Before Byers could say anything, Jimmy's eyes stared off as if seeing something no one else could, "Tide is coming. Drowning." Byers saw Jimmy change in a matter of seconds as Jimmy screamed, struggling against the straps. His strength causing the bed to shake.  
Byers looked back at Scully, "Did you see that? He was coherent for a short time."  
Scully observed the man struggling on the bed, "None of the other victims did that."   
"He's still in there. A small part of him is fighting whatever this is." Exclaimed Byers.  
"There is scientific evidence that supports that theory." Said Scully. "It's usually found in coma and catatonic patients. But it's a form of escape after the patient experiences a traumatic event. The Doctor can usually reach that part and bring the patient back out. But this is different; it's an unnatural occurrence. It seems Jimmy wasn't completely overcome by the violent tendencies he's experiencing. He may be fighting it."  
"Damn straight, he's fighting it." Said Frohike glancing at his young friend.  
"There's still the big questions of how and why." Voiced Langly.  
"We can rule out an airborne virus." Declared Byers, "The Park is always full of people, it would have affected more than six people. We need to find out who created this and how it got into his system. Was it ingested or injected? Also was it accidental or on purpose? Langly, go back to the warehouse and see if you can discover any kind of chemical warfare programs with these symptoms. The black ops are good place to start. Frohike and I will go to the park, see if we can find any clues." Byers turned to Scully and Mulder.  
"Scully, we would like you on record as Jimmy's doctor. Right now we can't trust any of the medical personnel with any certainty. Mulder, can you arrange security so no one can get in to see him?"  
Langly glanced at Jimmy on the bed, nodded his head and took off. Byers took a deep breath trying to think of what he could have missed. Deciding he had covered all the bases he followed Scully and Mulder out the door. Frohike looked over at the young man on the bed. "Keep fighting kid." then turned and followed Byers, Scully, and Mulder out of the room.  
  
A nurse in full operating scrubs turned the corner as soon as The Lone Gunmen and the FBI agents left. She was wheeling an empty gurney, and stopped outside room 1013. Looking around her, she made sure no one was around before she entered the room. She stopped just inside the room, hesitating a moment while she watched Jimmy on the bed, then stepped foreword. She untied her mask and pulled off the surgical cap releasing the flowing black hair. Yves Harlow looked down at the struggling man. He was repeatedly muttering something about football. "Jimmy." She whispered.  
Somewhere in the safe corner of his mind that was untouched by the black vortex that swirled in his head, Jimmy heard a familiar voice. He tried to focus through the impulses of swirling madness, hate and violence that were so alien to him. He struggled against the tide trying to reach the voice. He had done it once before and maybe, if he fought hard enough he might be able to do it again.   
"BITCH!" Screamed Jimmy, his voice hard, angry. "LET ME OUT BITCH!" Jimmy kept struggling against the straps trying to free himself, hatred and menace in his blue eyes. Yves watched him, her eyes glistening, betraying the cool exterior she presented. She reached out to touch his face, but pulled back, lowering her hand. Yves took a deep breath and brought out from her pocket an atomizer, injecting him in the forearm. When she was done, she retied her surgical mask and put the cap back on. She turned and went out the door walking directly into Fox Mulder.  
  
  
At the park, Byers and Frohike, having asked directions headed to where the Sunday football games were played. Frohike was alert, watching everything that was going on in the park. Byers had been overly quiet, lost in his own thoughts ever since they entered the park.  
"Frohike," He said finally, "I've been thinking about what Scully said about a minor occurrence before the event."  
Frohike looked at him, "I don't recall anything that fits the description."  
"I do." Said Byers. " It was yesterday. Jimmy and I were doing the dishes after dinner, when he suddenly dropped all the plates on the floor. I was going to say something, when he smiled at me. Frohike, it stopped me cold, because it for a moment, it wasn't Jimmy, but a stranger with cold hard eyes. Then it passed, and Jimmy looked at the pieces with that confused look he gets when Langly is explaining something technical to him. He immediately cleaned up the mess and I didn't give it much thought after that because, well, I convinced myself I had imagined it." Byers was silent for a moment, "I've been thinking, Frohike. Since he's been with us, he's almost been killed by a homicidal doctor, then that double agent, not to mention skiing into a tree, being behind the wrong end of a gun and getting thrown in jail too many times to count."  
"Byers." Frohike said gently, "What you're feeling is guilt because you think you could have prevented this some how. You couldn't have known what was happening. The blame rests solely on the people responsible for this. That other stuff." Frohike shrugged. "If we had managed to get rid of him in the early days, he would have gone looking for some other 'lost cause', and who knows what he would have gotten into." Frohike smiled, "Don't ever tell Langly I said this, I will deny it if you repeat it, but I think the kid is right where he is supposed to be in life."  
Byers looked at Frohike in surprise, "At least until I fire his ass again." Added Frohike with a grin. Byers laughed.  
"Look." Said Frohike. Up ahead, there were about ten people tossing a football around. There were a couple of spectators, but no one really seemed interested in playing. Byers and Frohike walked up to them and watched the half hearted game for a few minutes before approaching one of the spectators, a petite young woman with a page boy hair cut. She was sitting Indian style, her attention divided between the game and a book.  
"They don't seem very interested in the game." Byers said to her.  
The girl looked up from her book. "No, they don't. They have other things on their minds." She studied Byers and Frohike, "You guys look familiar. " Her eyes widened in recognition, " Your Jimmy's friends from that paper The Lone Gunman!" She tossed her book aside and stood up.   
"I'm sorry to hear about him. He was a great guy. I'm Annie."  
"Annie." Asked Byers, "Can you tell us who was at that game last week?"  
"Sure, There was Robert Traab, Vern Haggler, Larry Bentz, Greg Summers, Raul Oritz, and Jimmy. I was watching along with Kendra Moore and Greg's girlfriend May Evan."  
"Was there anything out of the ordinary that day?" Frohike asked.  
Annie thought for a moment, "Not that I can remember. Kendra did bring a cooler of drinks, which was unusual. She doesn't splurge like that, she's kind of a spendthrift. But we all had some of the drinks, even Kendra. Other than that nothing was out of the ordinary, except for the heat. It was pretty hot out, which I guess, was why there was such a low turnout." She smiled, "Jimmy kept reminding everyone to stay well hydrated. I think it was the coach in him. "  
Something gnawed at Frohike, "Annie, why did you refer to Jimmy in the past tense?"  
Annie gave Frohike a strange look, "He died this morning. Didn't you know?"  
"Who told you that?" asked Byers.  
"A detective came by here an hour ago. She said Jimmy died, that the straps hadn't been tied tight enough and he escaped and killed himself."  
"What was her name? What did she look like?" asked Byers.  
"She said her name was Lois Davico. She was tall, older, had auburn hair."  
"Wait a minute, she just approached you with this information?" Questioned Frohike. "Did she specifically identify herself as a cop?"  
Annie reddened, "No, she never identified herself as such, I just assumed it. She was hanging around watching the game. I approached her and that's when she told me her name and what happened to Jimmy."  
"Annie, did she handle anything here?" queried Byers.  
Annie shook her head, "No, after she talked to me, she said she was going to talk to everyone. But, the only other person she talked to was Kendra."  
Byers' phone rang. He pulled it out of his coat pocket, "Byers." He listened for a minute then said, "We'll be right there." He pocketed the phone and told Frohike, "Mulder just caught someone coming out of Jimmy's room."  
"Lois Davico?" he asked.  
Byers shook his head, "Yves."  
  
Back at the hospital, Mulder had Yves sitting in the doctor's lounge. Frohike was standing in front of her while Byers was off on the side. "Tell us what you injected Jimmy with, Yves." Demanded Frohike. Yves just glared at Frohike and remained silent.  
"Agent Scully has the atomizer, she's doing tests on it now." Said Mulder. "Miss Harlow, it would be easier and faster if you just told us what was in it."  
"I found it!" Announced Langly, rushing in with several folders. Langly briefly glanced at the peach hospital scrubs Yves was wearing, "It's not Black Ops like we thought, it comes from the private sector, specifically a company called REGIS CORPORATION. They have been doing research and development for the past few years on a new chemical formula that they plan to sell to the highest bidder. But that's not what I found so interesting. What is, is who the lead scientist is, the one who made the really big strides in the last six months to get their "product" ready for market." Langly opened the folder and tossed some pictures down on the table.  
Frohike picked up the pictures, "We know this woman."  
"Yeah, Dr. Lois Davico." Said Langly. "The scientist who altered people's thoughts and identities through virtual reality under the guise of therapy. She was one twisted sister, pretending to be Charlie Muckles' wife after he disappeared from a car accident with no memory of who he really was. She made like Kathy Bates in the Stephen King novel Misery. She was planning on keeping Muckle all to herself until we convinced him to give reality another chance." Langly tossed a Lone Gunman newspaper down on top of the pictures. The headline read:  
  
THERAPY OR THOUGHT CONTROL?  
  
"Its Jimmy's first byline." Said Langly grimly.  
"You think she's out for revenge?" Asked Byers.  
"Jimmy was just icing on the cake." Yves spoke up, "After your...expose she lost her funding, her status in the scientific community, her research, and the man she thinks she loved. She considers herself the wronged woman. She became very angry and bitter and channeled that energy into her research. Regis Corporation had no qualms about hiring her. They made a perfect fit. They had a very profitable cash cow in the works, and she had the expertise to make it work."  
"Dr. Davico needed a real life experiment for her precious chemical and turned those men into her own human lab rats. The fact that Jimmy happened to be one of them was a fortunate coincidence for her since Jimmy showed up for the games so sporadically."  
"What you injected Jimmy with, it's the antidote?" Asked Byers.  
"No." Yves stated, "I've been trying to get the actual chemical compound, but it's under extremely tight security. I managed to get a serum; it's a low quality version of the antidote. The chemical makeup is similar enough that it will ease the violent compulsions, but it does have side affects."  
"I'm afraid to ask." Said Byers. "What side effects?"  
Yves took a deep breath, "Extreme paranoia."  
Langly snorted, "That's two things that just don't go together. Jimmy and paranoia."   
"You're not telling us everything." Byers accused her.  
Yves hesitated, "The serum lasts only a few hours and then the violent urges return."  
Mulder's cell phone rang. "Scully?" He proceeded to fill Scully in on the events to date. After a couple of minutes he shut off his phone, "Scully thinks she can manufacture the antidote with the first serum as a guide. I'll call Skinner about Regis. He can get a couple of agents over there to investigate, and maybe get the antidote in the process."  
Mulder's phone rang again, he listened to it for a minute before turning it off, "We have another problem. Jimmy's gone."  
"What? How?" Byers asked.  
A woman claiming to be his doctor tried to get in to see him. The nurse, knowing Scully is the only doctor allowed to see him, called security. But the woman disappeared. The nurse took the guard to Jimmy's room with her. He's gone. The description the nurse gave fits Lois Davico's description."  
"What does she want with Jimmy?" Questioned Frohike.  
"He's the last link to her deadly chemical." Byers looked at Mulder, thinking, "Mulder, how did those other five men die? Weren't they restrained also?"  
"Some how they got loose and escaped. At first we thought someone was careless with the straps, but not with all five men. Some one was helping those men to an early death, some one who wanted to cover up an experiment."  
"We have to find Jimmy before he hurts himself or someone else." Said Byers. "Also, why would she take him from the hospital, if that's what she's done."  
"The Football!" Exclaimed Frohike. "She probably put the chemical on the football they used. All six guys would have handled it."  
"But that girl Annie said Dr. Davico hadn't touched anything." Countered Byers, "Unless, Davico had help. That girl Kendra."  
Frohike grimaced and shook his head, "Annie herself. She was in a position to talk to the doctor and put the chemical on the football. She's a part of the group, and it wouldn't be suspicious for her to handle the ball. I though it was a little convenient that she kept connecting the other girl to everything. She also was just to damn quick to volunteer information."  
"But why would she help the doctor do this." Asked Langly. "They were her friends."   
Frohike looked at Yves, "Filthy Lucre. Money. It makes people do strange things."  
Yves met his gaze.   
"We have to figure out where Jimmy went." Said Mulder; "He would need to go somewhere familiar to him, where in his state he would feel safe."  
The Lone Gunmen looked at each other. "The Warehouse!" They exclaimed in unison."  
"I'll go talk to that woman Annie." Said Mulder. "You guys go see...." His voice trailed off as The Lone Gunmen ran out of the room. Yves stood up, "I'm going with them."  
Mulder shrugged and as Yves was halfway out the door he called to her, "Tell the guys to keep in touch by cell. And Miss Harlow, thank you for the Maharen Project disc. It was very useful."  
Yves stopped and turned half way to look at him. Her face a mask as she nodded and kept going.  
  
Dr. Lois Davico looked over at the man who was sitting in the passenger seat. He had on a baseball cap and dark glasses. He kept looking out the window furtively. Some one had injected him with the vaccine that caused paranoia. It suited her fine. Paranoia could be controlled and twisted to her advantage.  
"Jimmy." She said urgently, "Which way?"  
"They're all watching us, don't you see the eyes on us?" He rasped, "They know where we are!"  
"Jimmy. Which way?" She demanded, "If we can get to your place we will be safe from prying eyes."  
Jimmy looked at her, "Go left." She turned the car left and looked back at her passenger. He was still staring at her through those dark glasses. It sent a shiver up her spine, but then he turned away, watching people and buildings fly past them.  
She had to get that football. It and this stupid kid were all that was left that linked her to the chemical she created. That dumb girl was supposed to have retrieved the football, but she had screwed it up and the idiot next to her had taken it home with him. But she could be proud that the chemical and the experiment was a success, and to top it off, at least one of The Lone Gunmen would pay for destroying her life, and taking Adam from her.  
Dr. Davico rolled her car up to the warehouse. She looked at it apprehensively; "This is where you live? This is where the football is?"  
Jimmy opened the passenger door, stepped out and looked at the warehouse, "Yeah." He looked around him as if expecting some one to jump out. He started walking toward the stairs with Davico following behind him. At the door, Jimmy ran his hands over the locks and then tried the door. It was unlocked. He pulled the door open and grabbed Davico's hand, pulling her in. He shut the door behind then and threw the locks. Davico's eyes went wide as she took in the room with all the computers and surveillance equipment that littered the area.  
Jimmy checked the monitor, "I don't think we were followed." He moved around looking the place over.  
Davico shook her head, "Jimmy, the football. I need the football, where is it?"  
Jimmy took the sunglasses off and set them down on a table. He turned to her. "It's in my room." He moved forward to the living spaces with the scientist following behind him. He went into one of the rooms, that has football posters on the wall. Jimmy knelt down and looked under the bed. He came up empty handed. "It's gone! Some one was here." He stood up, looking around suspiciously. He backed out of his room, pushing Davico with him.   
"I need that football." She demanded, "It's our evidence!"  
They were back in the work areas; "They were here! They have it, we have got to get out before they come back." He grabbed her hand, ready to flee.  
"Wait!" she exclaimed.  
"He's right, we do have it." Said Frohike coming out of the shadows of a darkened corner, followed by Byers, Langly and Yves. He held up a clear plastic bag containing the football.  
Jimmy pushed Lois Davico behind him; "You won't get away with this." "Jimmy," Said Byers, stepping foreword, "Your not yourself. You have been exposed to some chemicals that's making you do this."  
Lois smiled. She held onto Jimmy's other arm as if for protection, "It's them Jimmy," She whimpered putting a hint of fear in her voice, "They stole my work and corrupted it. The football is the evidence. We need that football to prove to the public what they are doing, that they are responsible for those other men's death."  
"Give us the football." Demanded Jimmy. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at them.   
Yves moved foreword. "She's lying, Jimmy, The Lone Gunmen, Frohike, Byers, and Langly are your friends. Concentrate, remember when you thought they were trapped in the missile silo while they were looking for the car. Think back to that time, and how you felt."  
A memory flashed, Jimmy was digging, sadness and grief, the three guys coming out of the fog. Yves' relieved expression, him running to them, hugging them, happiness. Other memories surfaced, the four of them here in the warehouse, talking, hovering over Langly as he brought up information on the computer. Them standing around his Trans Am, a sense of belonging. Another memory, the four of them standing around his hospital bed. Jimmy looked at them, his head cocked, his face a mask of confusion as a range of emotions battled within him.  
"It's working." Whispered Byers to Frohike, Yves and Langly. To Jimmy he said, "She's the one that made the chemical. She is the one who intends to sell it to the highest bidder."  
Jimmy shook his head, "No. Trying to confuse me." He hit his forehead with the palm of his hand, pressing it, as if trying to stop the conflicting thoughts and emotions."  
Davico smiled, pulling out her own gun, "Yes Jimmy, they are trying to confuse you."  
Jimmy stepped away from her pointing the gun between them all and murmured, "All of you."  
"The serum is wearing off." Whispered Byers, "We have to do something fast."  
Lois Davico laughed. "Thank you, whomever, for injected him with that paranoia inducing serum. It helped me out quite nicely. Davico seemed to be oblivious to Jimmy's internal struggle only a few feet away. "Your friend is going to shoot all of you, and then he will turn it on himself, with some help from me." She pointed the gun toward Yves. "You are first."  
Jimmy lost the internal struggle against the violent urges that had been welling up. He gave a frustrated scream and rushed at the nearest person. He tackled Davico, knocking her down. She managed to give a frightened cry before hitting her head, effectively knocking her out. His four friends watched in shock as he grabbed a computer off a nearby work station and dashed it to the floor. Yves recovered her wits first. "Jimmy! Stop!" She rushed up to him and just as he turned around, she injected him with a sedative. The guys were a beat behind Yves, managing to catch Jimmy before he toppled over. They gently as possible lowered him to the floor. Frohike felt his pulse, and finding it strong he checked Davicos'.   
"She is going to have a headache when she wakes up." He announced. Byers pushed some of the computer debris away from Jimmy's head.   
Byers' phone rang. "Byers" He listened for a moment before hanging up.   
"Scully has the antidote. She is on her way with it. Also, that girl Annie is one of Davico's research assistants. Mulder has her in custody, and the FBI are swarming Regis." Byers' relief was evident.  
Yves knelt next to Jimmy, caressing his cheek, "The antidote will be here soon. You'll be fine.   
  
A week later, Byers, Langly, and Frohike were checking out their new edition of the Lone Gunman. Byers looked at his watch. "Jimmy should be back soon. We have to talk to him about what happened. He hasn't mentioned it once, and every time one of us mentions it, he changes the subject and goes running. If he keeps this up, he's going to run himself into the ground."  
The three of them looked as the front door opened and Jimmy, in a jogging outfit of a gray T-shirt and sweat pants came in. He was soaked with sweat, his dark blond hair plastered to his head. When he saw the guys, he lowered his eyes, mumbled something about a shower and started to move past them.  
"Jimmy." Said Frohike, "We need to talk. Let's sit at the kitchen table"   
Jimmy froze in his tracks, then followed his friends into the kitchen. They all sat down. Jimmy stared at his clasped hands, unable to meet their eyes.  
"Jimmy." Said Byers, "Talk to us."  
"I once went surfing with my friend Corky during a Spring Break." He said, his words barely a whisper. "The waves were real good, 8-10 feet high. I was surfing fine and then the next thing I know I lost my balance and the wave was over me. I had to fight my way to the surface, and each wave would come and knock you down again. This was like that, except the water was this tide of rage and hate that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to get to the surface."   
"I don't remember hurting those people and Agent Scully said I probably will never fully remember everything..." Jimmy hesitated and then looked up at his friends. His eyes were full of guilt and remorse. "But there is one thing I do remember. I had a gun and I was going to use it against you guys."  
"We don't blame you for anything that happened, Jimmy." Said Byers. "You were a victim of that drug, which you fought the whole time, and in the end you won.  
Byers smiled, Frohike dipped his head in approval.  
"Jimmy, there's just one thing." Langly said.  
"What?' Jimmy asked quietly.  
"Take a shower, you smell!"  
Jimmy broke out into a huge smile, relief evident in his face. He got up and headed for the hot shower that waited for him.  
  
  
THE END  
  
  



End file.
